The Lion King 3: The Legend of Savannah and Saba
by wweather
Summary: Kiara and Kovu have two children but will one grow up to be evil?
1. Chapter 1

From all around the Pride Lands, animals gathered in anticipation of an event that would be taking place on Pride Rock today. It was the day that Queen Kiara and King Kovu's cub would be born.

Wazu, granddaughter of Zazu, flew over to the precipice that jutted out from the cliff face. The hornbill couldn't see any lions anywhere. They must still be in their cave, she reasoned.

She went inside, where Rafiki, the aged baboon, was tending to Queen Kiara. Her husband, King Kovu, was standing by anxiously.

"Come on now, push. Push!" Rafiki urged.

"I can feel something moving," Kiara groaned.

"It's taking a while to come out," Kovu explained to Wazu.

"Why didn't you just have a baby brought in by the stork?" Wazu inquired.

Kovu stared at her. Did she actually still think that storks delivered babies? "Never mind that. I need you to bring more animals here, to witness the birth of their future king or queen."

Wazu looked over her shoulder. "I think there's enough already, don't you?"

"Rubbish! Everyone should come here!"

"Huh, and I suppose I'll have to find food for them all, too," Wazu muttered as she flapped out of the cave. "Must a birth always entail so much work? Oh, gosh!"

Just then Rafiki turned and held up the newly born lion cub. "It is a girl!"

Kovu beamed. "Another lion queen to take the place of her mother one day."

"Yes, and now I will go and show her to the other animals," Rafiki said.

Rafiki and Kovu strode out of the cave to face the crowd outside. Animals of all shapes and sizes were everywhere. Zebras, elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelopes, and many other species had come to witness the birth of their future monarch.

The baboon held the newborn infant up in the sky for all to admire, as he had done for her mother Kiara, and Kiara's father Simba, and Simba's father Mufasa. The sun shone down on her face for the very first time. Rafiki broke open a gourd and rubbed the juice into the cub's golden fur. "I can't count how many times I've done this," he said.

"You must have outlived countless generations of lions," said Kovu. "Just how old are you?"

But Rafiki didn't answer. He just danced around and sang to himself in Zulu.

Kovu went back inside to check on his wife, but there was a big surprise waiting for him. Another lion cub, this one a male, was lying at Kiara's feet. He had reddish brown fur.

"What… there's two of them?"

"Twins." Kiara nodded.

Kovu hadn't expected this at all, and even Rafiki was surprised. Instead of one child, the royal family had two.


	2. Chapter 2

Kiara's children had grown into strong, healthy young cubs. The girl was named Savannah and the boy was named Saba.

One morning Savannah was wandering the savannah when she met Makini, Rafiki's mandrill assistant. Makini was carrying a staff, just like Rafiki always did.

"Good morning, Princess Savannah," said Makini. "Where are you going?"

Savannah waved a paw at the monkey. "I'm looking for my brother. Have you seen him?"

"Saba? I just saw him. I think he said he was going to the watering hole."

"Okay, thanks!" They started walking away from each other, but Savannah looked back and noticed something on the ground. "Um, Makini, you dropped your stick."

Makini smacked herself on the forehead. "I knew that! It was only there for a second. I wasn't going to leave it!" She dashed back and scooped it up.

Savannah giggled and headed to the watering hole.

When she got there, she saw Saba chasing a small white hare around. "Ahh! Help! Help!" the hare was shouting.

Wazu was perched in a tree nearby. "Look at that, Savannah. Your brother is hunting other animals."

"Hmm… I'd better do something about that," Savannah said. "Saba, stop hunting our subjects! Mom 'n' dad say we shouldn't hunt other animals."

Kion stopped running. "Aw, I was only playin'," he said disgustedly.

"Right. He was just chasin' me for fun," said the hare, whose name was Joshy. "Saba an' I are jolly good pals. It was just a joke, wot wot!"

"Even if it is just a joke, it's not done," said Savannah. "Why don't we play something else?"

"Okay, fine," Saba said. "I'll race ya to that grove of baobab trees over there!"

"You're on!"

The two cubs crouched on their haunches, then sped off in a cloud of dust.

Saba was ahead at first, but Savannah soon overtook him. In the end, she reached the grove long before he did.

"I made it! I'm the best! I made it!" Savannah cheered. But someone was there ahead of her, sitting with his back against a tree. Joshy.

"Oh, I see you finally decided to put an appearance. Dashed good of you, wot?" the hare brittished. "I was wonderin' if you got lost!"

"Wha… who… how did you get here ahead of us?" Savannah gaped.

Joshy winked. "That's a secret, old gel!"

Just then Saba came running in. "There you are, Saba. What's the matter? Did you get tired?" Savannah teased.

"I wasn't really tryin'," Saba said. Suddenly he pounced on his sister with a playful growl. The two lion cubs wrestled around for a while.

Eventually, Savannah won. "Pinned ya!" she boasted, sitting on top of her brother.

"Hey, let me up," Saba complained. She did, but as soon as Saba was back on his feet he lunged for Savannah again. The second match ended just as the first did.

"Annnd round two goes to Savannah," Savannah said proudly, sauntering off.

Saba didn't get up right away this time. He just lay on the ground for a while.

Joshy was full of concern for his friend. "I say, are you all right, Saba, mate?"

"I'm fine," Saba sulked. "I just wish Savannah didn't always beat me at everything. She can outrun, outfight, and outclimb me."

"Well, everything doesn't always have t'be a competition, old boy," said Joshy. "An' besides, there's loads of things you're good at. I love the goofy voices you do when we're pretendin' to be other kinds of animals. You do a great meerkat voice!"

Saba rolled onto his stomach. "But Savannah's going to be the queen one day, and I'll be nothing."

"You're my friend. That's somethin', ain't it, wot?"

"I suppose," Saba said. But he didn't feel any better.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days later, Wazu was in the jungle, standing anxiously over an egg. "Why isn't it hatching?"

Her friend, a zebra named Rick, said,

"Be patient. Be patient. Don't be in such a hurry.

If you get impatient, you'll only start to worry."

"Why must you always talk in rhymes?" Wazu groaned.

Makini came swinging through the trees. "Hey, Wazu, what are you so hectic about?"

"I laid this egg two days ago, and it hasn't hatched yet! Maybe it's a dud."

Makini laughed a screechy monkey laugh. "Eggs take a lot longer than two days to hatch!"

"I'm just so nervous," Wazu said. "This is the first egg I've ever laid."

Makini said, "You're a hornbill, right? I think Rafiki told me hornbill eggs take about 25 days to hatch. Or, um, was it 45?"

"Forty-five days!" Wazu squawked. "I can't wait around for forty-five days! Maybe I should just give my baby bird a little push along. Here, Makini, hand me that stick of yours…"

Makini handed it over to the bird, unsure of what she meant to do. Wazu clutched the staff in her wing and raised it over the egg.

"No! Are you crazy? You could hit his head!

Do you want him to be dead?" Rick shouted.

"Oh, a little knock on the back o' the head never hurt anyone," Wazu chuckled.

Luckily for her unborn child, Wazu was distracted just then by Savannah and Saba dashing towards her.

"Wazu! Wazu! Can you show us how to fly like you?" Savannah begged.

Wazu stroked the underside of her beak thoughtfully. "Hmm. No lion has ever come up with that idea before, so I have no idea if it'll work or not!"

"Well, can you try?" asked Saba.

"I s'pose so, but it won't work without wings. I know that much. We've got to get you some wings. Yeah, that's what we need." Of course, her grandfather Zazu would never have agreed to such a stupid idea, but Wazu wasn't like her grandfather.

"We could use these palm leaves," said Savannah. "Makini, would you please pull a couple of leaves down from the trees for us to use as wings?"

"Sure thing," Makini said. She pulled off four big leaves and tossed them down. Then the cubs tied them to their front legs with vines.

"I've gotta go now!" Makini said. "Let me know how it turns out, kay?" She started to dash off.

"You forgot your wood!

That's no good!" Rick called after her.

The monkey ran back and scooped up her staff. "Thanks, Rick!"

Wazu inspected the makeshift wings. "Mm, not bad. Now pay attention. I'll show you how it's done, and then you imitate me. Okay?"

"Okay," they said.

"Let's go out onto the plains where there's more space," Wazu said.

They left the trees and went out into the open, where they came upon Queen Kiara.

"Mom! Wazu's gonna show us how to fly!" Savannah shouted excitedly.

"You don't mind, do you, Your Highness?" Wazu asked.

Kiara smiled. She knew her children could never fly because they were lions, but where was the harm in letting them exercise their imaginations? "No, I don't mind at all. Have fun." She went on her way.

Wazu swooped into the air and flew in a circle above the cubs' heads. Savannah and Saba tried to imitate her, but they couldn't get more than a few feet off the ground.

"Why does it work for you and not for us?" Saba complained.

"Stronger, young master! You must be stronger with your wings! And more elegantly!" Wazu exhorted.

But they still couldn't do it.

"Don't feel too bad," said a passing ostrich. "I have wings, but I can't fly either."

"Do you remember when you learned to fly?" Savannah asked Wazu.

"Hmm, I think the first time I ever flew was from my nest," said Wazu. "Maybe it's hard for beginners to take off from the ground. Maybe we should find you two a nest to jump from. Huh, but it'd have to be a pretty big nest to fit a lion cub!"

Rick had been following them, and he said:

"Start from a stone.

That's how it's done!"

"That's the first sensible thing you've said in your life, mate," said Wazu. "Come along, little cubs. That rock over there looks good to me."

There was a big boulder lying nearby. Savannah scrambled up on top of it, but Saba couldn't quite make it and slid back down to the ground.

"Need a paw?" Savannah asked sweetly, holding her arm out to him.

Saba took her paw in his, and she pulled him up, but inside the young prince was feeling resentful. One more thing his sister was better than him at.

"So what do we do now?" Savannah asked.

"I'm tryin' to remember… hmm, you just run off, beating with your wings, yeah, that's all there is to it…" Wazu mumbled.

The cubs attempted to follow her advice. They jumped off the boulder, and tried to flap their homemade wings, but they just fell to the ground.

"Owwah! Owwah! My leg! Owwah!" Saba cried.

"Oh, my head," Savannah groaned. They were covered with bumps and bruises.

Just then their father, King Kovu, came storming up. "What's going on here!?"

Wazu covered her face with her wings. "Oh no! Mammoth mayhem!"

"Wazu, what have you been up to with my children?" Kovu demanded.

"The cubs were trying to learn to fly.

That's what made them cry!" Rick sang.

"I'm disappointed with you, Wazu," said Kovu. "You should know better."

"Does this mean you're not going to let me be the Royal Steward anymore?" the bird fretted. "Will I have to go back to my old job at the Kentucky Fried Chicken?"

"Did somebody say fried chicken?" Joshy popped up out of a hole in the ground.

"Oh, please, father, don't send Wazu away!" Savannah cried. "It wasn't her fault!"

"I'm not going to send her away," Kovu said. "But you all need to be more careful in the future."

Rafiki was summoned to treat their wounds. "It's not severe," he said. "Only abrasions and bruises."

"Well, I don't think we'll try to fly again," Savannah said.

"If tyin' branches to y'self was all it took to fly, we'd've heard about it long ago, wot," Joshy agreed.

Rafiki heard the hare's comment. He had a good idea of where those branches had come from. When Makini came to his tree that night, he spoke sternly to her.

"Did you give Savannah and Saba palm leaves so they could try to fly?" he asked.

Makini hung her head. "I am so, so, sorry. I'm one myopic mandrill. I'll never be wise enough to take your place as the Royal Mjuzi."

"Oh, don't say that." Rafiki waved his staff about. "Wisdom will grow with years. The Lions of the Past chose you as my successor, and they've never been wrong! Hoo-hoo!"

"I'll try to do better," Makini promised.

Rafiki wagged a gnarled finger at her. "Do not say try, young one. Those who strive never thrive. You must say you _will_ do better!"

"Okay, I _will_ do better!" she proclaimed, puffing out her chest.

"Excellent!" Rafiki laughed. "By the way, where is your staff?"

"Ohmygosh!" Makini ran frantically into the night.

Rafiki watched her go. He had faith that she would be well equipped to take up his mantle when the time came. Doubtless she would be the one to bless the next ruler of the Pride Lands.


	4. Chapter 4

As the earth turned slowly, time passed and season followed season many times. Savannah and Saba were teenagers now, and Saba had a tuft of black fur on his head, the beginnings of his mane.

One day Savannah found Wazu in a field, sobbing her eyes out. The lion princess was concerned. "What's the matter, Wazu?"

"Ohhhhh," Wazu wailed. "My little son Razu is missing and I can't find him anywhere!" Razu had hatched out of her egg from the last chapter.

Savannah patted the bird on the head. "Don't worry. I'll help you look for him."

She began to sniff and search. Eventually she found Razu, hiding in a tree.

"Razu, what are you doing up there? Your mother's out of her mind looking for you," Savannah said.

Razu covered his face with his wings, thinking that obscured him from the lioness's view. "Don't wanna take a baff!"

"Oh, yeah. I remember when I was a kid and didn't want to take a 'baff,'" Savannah smiled. "But look, you can't hide in that tree forever. She's sure to find you eventually. Why don't you come down here and I'll help you find a better place to hide?"

"Okay," said Razu. He flew down to the ground.

Wazu swooped out of nowhere and pounced on him. "Aha! Gotcha, you little wretch! What've I told you about running off without my permission, eh?"

"Nooo, nooo, don' wanna gerra baff!" Razu screamed.

"Look at the state of yourself. All dirty and mucky. You're going to get a wash this instant!"

She dragged him off to the water hole. Savannah chuckled and hurried back to Pride Rock. She didn't want to miss the game today!

Baobab Ball was a game that Queen Kiara's little brother Kion, and his friend, a badger named Bunga, had invented when they were kids. Now it was the official national sport of the Pride Lands. It was basically like football but the ball was a baobab fruit. Savannah was a star Baobab Ball player. She had just become the captain of her Uncle Kion's old team. Today's game would be her first as captain.

The game would take place right in front of Pride Rock. When Savannah got to the field, Saba and Joshy greeted her. They were on her team too.

"You ready to kick some butt today, sis?" Saba asked.

"I was born ready," she replied.

"Here comes Bunga," Joshy said. "He's not like other badgers I've known, but he's a good chap."

Bunga Badger was the referee. He held the baobab fruit high in the air as the two teams gathered on opposite sides of the field. Savannah, Saba, Joshy, and a few other animals on one team, and some other young lions and creatures on the other.

"Zuka Zama, everyone!" Bunga exclaimed. "Play ball!" He tossed the baobab into the air.

On this particular morning, no one was having much luck. Heavy rain the night before had felt the field waterlogged and the game kept stopping and starting as, time after time, animals came slipping to the ground.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the ball landed close enough to Saba for him to seize it and start running. This was his chance to show he was just as good as his sister, he thought.

Saba rushed towards the other team's goal, which was just a space between two bushes, but in front of him half a dozen of his opponents were converging.

"To me! Saba, to me!" various members of his own team called. "Pass it!"

But Saba didn't pass it. He wanted to score. He wanted to hear his teammates' cheers, to feel their paws slapping him on the back. For once, he wanted to be the hero.

Half of the opposing team were almost upon him. He couldn't go forward. He couldn't go back. He looked at the goal. So near, and yet so far.

"Pass it to me!" he heard. It was Savannah, standing right in front of the other team's goal. If Saba threw her the ball, she would have a good shot of scoring. But Saba wanted to be the one who scored. But he knew he didn't have a chance now. He was completely surrounded. With a sigh, Saba chucked the ball to his sister, and Savannah plopped it right between the bushes, just before time ran out. They had scored the only goal of the game, and beat the other team 1-0!

Kion had been watching the game from Pride Rock, along with Kiara and Kovu. "Savannah's quite the athlete," he said. "Reminds me of myself at her age."

"That's why she'll make the perfect queen one day," her mother said.

Soon, everyone was swarming around Savannah, congratulating her on her win. Saba fumed. _He_ had set that goal up for his sister, but nobody cared.

Joshy noticed that something was wrong. "I say, old chap, what's the matter?"

"Nobody cares about me! They only pay attention to Savannah!"

"Hey, I care about you. You wanna go for a walk?" Joshy asked. They set off together across the Pride Lands.

"It's not easy when your sister's the queen," Joshy said.

"How would you know? You don't have a sister!"

"Look, mate, I know your parents love you just as much as they love Savannah," Joshy said.

"Then why are they making her the queen, instead of making me the king?" Saba demanded.

"Well, that's just cause she's older, wot. Kiara became the queen because she was older than her brother."

"I love Savannah to pieces, but…" Saba trailed off.

"But you're jealous," the hare finished for him. "Well, don't let your jealousy get the better of you. I've seen what that can do to an animal. You'll have your fortunes, same as your sister."

And Joshy told Saba a story.

"Before I came to Africa, I used to live in a big red castle in another country, far across the sea," he said. "There were lots of other animals there- not much like the kinds of animals we have here, but it was jolly good. I was in charge of preparin' food for the other animals, an' I had a pretty good life, but one day I was kidnapped (or should I say hare-napped?) by evil pirate rats!"

Saba listened, wide eyed.

"They forced me to help row their ship. I was tied to an oar, along with many other slaves. But then one day the ship sank, off the coast of Kenya. I found myself flounderin' in the flippin' ocean. Somehow I made it to shore. I don't know what happened to any of the other pirates or slaves. As far as I'm aware, I'm the only beast left alive out of that shipload. I knew I had to find help, so I started trekkin' inland. Eventually I came to the Pride Lands, an' your parents took me in an' made me a part of their family. So misfortune can still lead to good things. If I hadn't been captured by those rats, I never would've come to the Pride Lands, an' I wouldn't be your friend today, wot wot!"

Joshy intended to use this story to help Saba feel better about not being appreciated, but Saba completely missed the point. "I wonder if the pirates left anything behind besides you," the prince wondered. "Like treasure. Pirates always have lots of treasure, right?"

"Well, I dunno, but I suppose they could have, wot wot?" Joshy said.

"So we should go find it! Then I'd be rich and my parents would start paying attention to me!"

"A jolly old treasure hunt!" Joshy brittished. "Sounds like a super wheeze to me, wot wot!"

So they set off to look for treasure. They hadn't gone far when they met Savannah.

"Whatcha doin', Saba?" she asked.

"We're goin' to get the treasure!" Joshy blurted out, before Saba could stop him. He was caught up in the lion's enthusiasm now.

"What treasure?" Savannah asked.

"Pirates left it behind!" Joshy said, not noticing Saba waving at him to shut up. The hare had forgotten that there might not actually be a treasure, and was taking it as a given now.

"Well, that sounds cool. Can I help you look?"

"Fine," Saba grumbled. "But don't spoil the fun like you always do."

"I don't do that!" Savannah protested. "When have I ever spoiled your fun?"

Saba imitated her voice. "No, Saba. You do not hunt other animals. Nooooo. It's nooot dooone."

"That doesn't sound a thing like me," Savannah argued, but she was laughing at her brother's impression of her. "I promise not to spoil your fun," she said.

"All right. Then let's go!" Saba said.

The three of them set off, looking for any place a treasure might be.

"Oh, I just can't wait to be RICH!" Saba sang.


	5. Chapter 5

Late in the afternoon, the three friends came to a cave. They were far out of sight of Pride Rock by now.

"I've never been this far from home before," Savannah said.

"You're not getting scared, are you?" Saba asked.

"Of course not. I can keep going just as long as you can."

Joshy sniffed the air. "I can smell the sea. We're not far from the ocean, wot!"

"That means the pirates probably hid their treasure nearby!" Saba cried. "This cave looks like a good hiding spot."

"All right!" Savannah whooped. "Let's go find that treasure!"

They entered the cave and emerged into a long dark passage, with many twists and turns. There was hardly any light at all. Savannah led the way, followed by Saba and Joshy.

Soon Joshy said, "I say, I'm not likin' this very much, chaps. It's gettin' awfully dark in here, wot?"

"It's not real dark," Saba scoffed. "I can still see my paws."

"But what if we get lost in here, eh? Did you ever think of that?"

"We can't get lost," Savannah said. "We've been on the same path the whole time. When we leave, we'll just turn around and go back the way we came."

"I think we should leave now," Joshy said. "You never know what sort of creatures might be livin' in a place like this. Spiders an' snakes an' such."

"You're not getting cold paws, are you?" Saba demanded. "I'm not leaving until I find that treasure!"

"But I'm hungry, don't ya know. Chap's gotta have his blinkin' scoff, wot wot!"

"Why didn't you say something about that before we went in here?" said Saba.

"I wasn't hungry then!"

"Then you can't be now. You don't get hungry all in a minute."

Just then, they rounded a corner, and Savannah pointed ahead with her paw. "Look!" The other two saw what she had seen. A bright white light, glowing ahead.

"The tunnel must have another exit," said Savannah.

"See, there was nothing to be afraid of," Saba told Joshy. "We must be almost out."

But they weren't. As they kept walking, the light got brighter in the distance, but there was no sign of an egress. Joshy became progressively more frightened as they went on, and kept begging the young lions to turn around and leave with him, but they wouldn't.

Soon they could hear a sound ahead. It was faint at first, but as they continued through the labyrinth, they recognized it.

"I say, that's some beast singin'," Joshy said. There were no words to the song, just one note being held.

"Ahhhhh," the voice sang.

"That's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard!" Savannah exclaimed.

But Joshy didn't like it. "Sounds spooky to me."

"I want to see who's making that sound!" Saba shouted.

Joshy fidgeted nervously. "Keep y'voice down, old chap. They might hear you, wot."

"Let 'em hear me!" Saba yelled. "Nothing can hurt a lion! That's why we're the kings of the jungle!"

He pushed past his sister Savannah and ran on ahead. Savannah rushed after him.

"I say, come back here, you fellas!" Joshy called. They paid him no heed. The hare shuddered. "Why do you always get yourself into these situations?" he questioned himself. He shrugged his shoulders and ran off after his friends, feeling he had no other choice.

The light got brighter and the singing got louder the farther they went. "AHHHHH." To Joshy it was an eerie and sinister sound, but it held a strange attraction for the lions.

"AHHHHH!"

" _AHHHHH!"_

" _ **AHHHHH!"**_

" _ **AHHHHH!"**_

The noise became deafening, so that the three animals had to cover their ears with their paws. Then just as suddenly, it died down. The light still remained, though, and it was brighter than ever.

Saba was still running along when he crashed into something. Savannah bumped into him from behind, and Joshy bumped into Savannah.

"What d'you think this is, a game of leapfrog?" Saba shouted.

Savannah pulled herself to her feet. "Sorry, Saba. We didn't mean to run into you. Why'd you stop?"

They saw that they had come to a dead end. A pile of rocks was blocking their way.

"Okay, there's nothin' in here. Time to go, wot," Joshy said nervously.

But Saba completely ignored him and started digging through the rocks, lifting them off the pile one by one and tossing them away. The glow got brighter still.

"I say, what are you doin'?' Joshy cried.

"Yeah, what are you doing, Saba?" Savannah said. "Yikes!" She ducked as one stone nearly brained her. "Watch where you're slingin' those!"

Saba had now made a hole in the pile of stones big enough for him to crawl through. He wriggled through the opening he had made and found himself in a big chamber with a strange blue fungus growing on the walls. The source of the light was in here, he could just feel it!

In the corner of the cavern was a big wooden chest. Saba crawled forward to examine it. There was an emblem in gold embedded on the lid. This emblem had spiral designs along the outside edge of the circle, and two crossed swords behind a dove in the center.

Saba flipped the lid open with his paw effortlessly. There was a lock on the chest, but it was so old that it crumbled away as soon as the lion touched it. The light emanating from the chest nearly blinded him! But as his eyes adjusted, he saw…

"Guys! Guys! Come take a look at what I just found!"

Savannah and Joshy scrambled through the hole. Savannah ran over to the chest and peered inside. "Diamonds! My God!"

Actually, it was only one diamond, a great big white one.

"Well, well, well," Joshy said. "So there was a treasure after all."

Saba slammed the lid shut angrily. "No one else is allowed to know about this!"

"But why not?" Savannah asked.

"Because I say so! I found this diamond first, so that makes it mine."

Savannah was upset. She felt she was losing the closeness she and Saba had always shared. "I'm sure it belongs to someone."

"Yeah, you're right. It belongs to me," Saba replied.

"Maybe we should give it to the Society for Endangered Animals," Joshy said.

Saba started pushing the chest across the cavern. "I found it. I'll decide what we do with it!"

Joshy had never seen Saba act like this before. What was the matter?

All of a sudden, Savannah let out a gasp. The other two ran to her in concern.

"What's wrong?" Saba asked, all the anger suddenly gone from his voice.

Savannah couldn't answer. She was choking! Suddenly she slumped to the ground! When Saba shook her, she didn't move.

Saba freaked out and started shouting at her. "Savannah, wake up! Wake up! Oh, I wish I'd never seen this stupid thing! I'm sorry, Savannah! This is all my fault!" He kicked the treasure chest.

Joshy was terrified too, but he knew he had to be the adult and take control of the situation. "Saba! Get a grip on y'self! We've got to get your sister some help. I'll stay with her, an' you go find Rafiki or somebody, wot!"

Saba raced out of there as fast as his legs would carry him! He kept bumping into the cave walls in his haste. When he finally got outside it was dark. He continued running, tripping over rocks and roots, and once a branch even smacked him in the eye! He wasn't even sure where he was heading. He didn't know which way to go.

Luckily, he bumped into Makini. They ran into each other so hard they both fell to the ground.

Makini sat up. "Why are you in such a hurry, Saba? What happened to your eye?" He had a cut where the tree branch had hit him.

"Never mind," Saba panted. "Savannah's in danger!"

"You know your parents have been scouring the Pride Lands for you all day," Makini said.

"We need to go help Savannah right now! Where's Rafiki?"

"I haven't seen him," said Makini.

Saba ran around in panicked circles. "Savannah could be dying! You've gotta come with me!"

"Me?" Makini was taken aback. She was nowhere near as experienced as Rafiki.

"Hurry! There's no time to lose!"

The mandrill stiffened her resolve. "All right. Lead me to her. I'll see what I can do!"

Saba led Makini back to the cave. They clambered through the tunnel, following the glow of the white diamond. There was no singing voice this time, but Saba didn't have time to think about that. When they got to the diamond cavern there was no change in Savannah. She was still passed out on the ground.

"She was perfectly fine, an' then she just keeled over!" Joshy said.

Makini was unsure what to do at first, but as she looked around, she saw the answer on the cave wall. "It must be the fungus in here doing this to her!" she exclaimed. "We have to get her out of here now!"

Working together, they managed to pull Savannah through the hole and out of the chamber. They dragged her along the rocky path, careful not to injure her. Savannah's breath began to come back almost as soon as she was out of the chamber with the diamond inside. Her eyelids fluttered and she stirred as they made their way out, and by the time they reached the cave entrance, she was completely awake.

"What happened to me?" Savannah mumbled.

"You must have had an allergic reaction to the fungus inside the cave," Makini said. "I recognized it. It's called Burtonian Fungus. Rafiki used to use it in medicines, but he had to stop using it because it sometimes made animals choke and pass out. He just couldn't trust it."

"Wow," said Savannah. "You saved my life."

"It was really your brother who saved your life," said Makini modestly. "If he hadn't reached me in time, who knows what could have happened?"

"Thanks a lot, Saba," Savannah said.

It felt nice to finally be appreciated. "You're welcome," Saba answered. "Man, I don't know what came over me in there. That diamond made me crazy. It was like I was possessed! I don't think we should tell anyone about the diamond. We'll just say Makini found us in a cave. I just want to forget about this whole thing!"

"Fine with me," Savannah said.

"An' me, too," Joshy said earnestly. From now on he would stay out of caves.

Of course, Savannah and Saba's parents gave them a scolding when they got home, but they were glad to see their children back safe. Rafiki was very proud of Makini when he heard the story. "Your head is not just filled with bananas!" he said.

But later that night, while the other lions slept, Saba heard a voice calling to him.

 _Saba… Saba…_

Saba lifted his head. "Who's there?" he whispered.

 _Why did you leave me behind, Saba? Why did you forget me?_

"I- I didn't forget you," Saba stammered. "I'm coming back to get you."

 _Come to me. I have need of you._

Saba crept over his sleeping parents and out of his family's cave at the top of Pride Rock. He slid down the rock onto the ground. Stealthily he ran across the dark Pride Lands, his feet carrying him where he needed to go. Once he saw some aardvarks heading his way, aardvarks being nocturnal, but he hid from them, not knowing why he felt compelled to hide.

He reached the mysterious cave and ran through all the tunnels again until he found the diamond.

" _ **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

The singing was back, even louder than before, and for the first time Saba realized that the sound was coming from the diamond itself. _Excellent,_ the jewel whispered in his mind. _And now, we have work to do. You have been ill-used. I shall give you your vengeance._

Vengeance? Saba didn't like the sound of that word. He almost turned and ran, but in the end the pull of the diamond was too strong. He found himself picking it up in his mouth and carrying it outside. When he got out of the cave, the diamond stopped singing and glowing, but Saba could still feel its tremendous power. He knew it was only concealing its true nature to preserve itself from the prying eyes of others.

"It's mine," he thought. "All mine." This was one thing he wouldn't share with Savannah. 


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning when Savannah woke up, she didn't see Saba lying next to her like he was when she went to sleep.

"Mom, Dad- Saba's gone!"

"I hope he didn't run off to explore another cave," said Kiara.

As it turned out, Saba was in another cave, but a smaller one closer to home. Savannah eventually found him hiding in a little cavern at the base of Pride Rock. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink, and there was a crusty, bloody scab over his left eye where he'd hit it on a tree branch the night before.

Savannah's brow creased in concern. "Saba, are you okay? What are you doing in there?"

She tried to take his paw, but Saba tore himself from her grasp. "Go away and stop spyin' on me! I'm trying to sleep!"

"Are you feeling all right?" Savannah asked. "Can I come in there with you?"

Savannah attempted to enter the cave, but Saba blocked her way. When she wouldn't move aside, Saba lunged at his sister and raked his claws across her face. It really hurt.

"Go away, I said. Go away! Why can't you leave me alone?" His voice was shrill with temper.

Saba had never hurt Savannah before. She got angry too. "Fine! You can just rot in there! Excuse me for looking after your well-being!" Savannah stormed away.

When she was gone, Saba turned to the back of the cave and uncovered something he had buried there. The white diamond. "Don't worry," he muttered. "I won't let her take you away from me."


	7. Chapter 7

Later that day Kovu came to the little cave to see his son. "Saba, I need to talk to you."

Saba buried his face in his paws. "Don't wanna talk."

"You scratched your sister today. That's not acceptable!"

Saba didn't dare to yell at his father as he had at his sister. "I'm sorry," he lied. "I won't do it again."

Kovu softened. "Joshy told me that you've been feeling jealous. You don't feel like we appreciate you. Son, we love you just as much as we love Savannah."

"No you don't!" Saba cried. "If you loved me, you'd let me be the next king!"

"But you'll get to take over the Lion Guard when your Uncle Kion dies. Won't that be fun?"

"I'm tired of always coming in second," Saba said.

"You can't let your jealousy master you," Kovu said. And he told Saba a story about two other lions who lived once upon a time. Savannah and Saba's great-grandfather Mufasa, and his brother Scar. Scar had been jealous of Mufasa because Mufasa was the king, just as Saba was now jealous of his sister. So Scar plotted to kill Mufasa. He ordered his gang of hyenas to scare a herd of wildebeests, causing the wildebeests to stampede through a gorge. Then Scar had pushed Mufasa down into the gorge, and the wildebeests trampled him to death. Scar had also run Mufasa's son Simba, Saba's grandfather, out of town. Scar became the king then. He drove the Pride Lands into ruin, and everyone hated him. But one day Simba returned and killed Scar, taking back his throne.

"So you see," Kovu finished, "Scar let his jealousy get the better of him, and drive him to evil. And in the end it destroyed him."

The story reminded Saba of a story Joshy had once told him, but that story was about two unicorns or something. "What happened to Scar's hyenas?" he asked.

"Oh, they continued to cause trouble in the Pride Lands for years, but eventually your mother and her brother drove their descendants away for good. They worked together, just like you and Savannah ought to do. Hopefully the hyenas will never come back."

Saba looked into his father's eyes, and Kovu got a good look at his son's face for the first time that day. Something unsettled him, he didn't know what.

"Okay, Dad," Saba said. "I'll work with Savannah, and I'll get along with her."

But he had taken the wrong lesson from his father's story, just like he did with Joshy's story about the treasure. Now he was formulating a plan to destroy Savannah, so he could be king.

"There just isn't enough room for both of us, and I can take care of that," he muttered to himself, as soon as Kovu was gone.

As Kovu was walking away, he realized what he had noticed in his son's face. Saba now had a wound over his left eye, in the exact same spot where Scar had had a scar.


	8. Chapter 8

Savannah was out on the grasslands, talking to Wazu.

"I don't know what Saba's problem is," she said. "I've never seen him act like this before."

"He's just a teenager," said Wazu. "He's probably developing hormones or something."

"But I'm a teenager too, and I don't go around scratching people across the face," Savannah said. Just then Saba appeared. He was carrying something in his paws, but Savannah couldn't see what it was.

"Saba, I'm sorry I got mad at you this morning," she said.

"Too little, too late," Saba replied. "You've been upstaging me all your life."

"You're my best friend, Saba," Savannah said. "Remember how we used to play together all the time when we were cubs? Remember the time we tried to learn to fly?"

Saba turned away from her without answering. "Don't turn your back on me, Saba," Savannah entreated.

"Perhaps it is you who shouldn't turn your back on me, sister," Saba said.

Savannah was completely perplexed by this. With a sigh, she turned to leave, but just then Saba held up the diamond he had been concealing. It started to glow again.

"Wow, where'd you get that thing?" Wazu exclaimed.

Saba lifted the diamond so it caught the sun's rays. The light reflecting off the gem ignited the grass and started a fire! Soon, Savannah and Saba were encircled by the blaze. Savannah screamed.

"Goodnight, sweet princess," Saba whispered. But then he realized that he himself was caught in the inferno he had created!

"Oh no! Mammoth mayhem! What do I do now?" Wazu squawked. She rushed back to Pride Rock.

Queen Kiara was sitting up there talking to another lioness. Wazu interrupted her.

"Your Highness, the grasslands are on fire! Saba's trying to murder Savannah!"

Kiara looked and saw smoke rising in the distance. She bounded down Pride Rock, hoping she could reach her children in time.

The heat was overwhelming. A solid wall of red and orange flames formed around Savannah and Saba. Savannah saw one spot that was clear. The fire hadn't reached it. But the flaming walls were closing in on it. She had to get through there before the circle closed!

She ran as she had never run before. The burning air scorched her fur. She had almost reached the narrow gap between the towering flames when she glanced back over her shoulder. Saba was lying on the ground, paralyzed with fear. She had to save him!

Savannah ran back to Saba. She forced herself underneath his prostrate body so she could lift him onto her back. Savannah carried her brother, trying to reach the exit in time, but she didn't make it. In the time she took to go back and save Saba, the circle had closed. Now they were trapped.

Just then it started to rain, even though there had not been a cloud in the sky before. Water poured down and quenched the flames. Savannah and Saba were saved.

Joshy emerged from the cloud of smoke, coughing. "I say! What the deuce started that fire?"

"Saba did it," Savannah gasped. "He used that diamond."

"Diamond? What diamond? Oh, bloody… you went back an' got it, didn't you? After you said you wanted to forget about it?"

Saba took to his heels.

Kiara arrived on the scene. "Savannah, are you all right? Where's Saba?"

"Saba tried to kill me," Savannah sobbed. "He held a big white diamond up to the sky and the sun reflected off it and started a fire!"

Kiara couldn't believe her ears.

Saba ran back to the little cave and hid the diamond in there again. He backed outside and ran right into his Uncle Kion.

"Saba, what have you done?" Kion demanded.

Saba saw that his uncle was surrounded by the rest of the Lion Guard. Rick the zebra was standing there, too.

"We heard you tried to kill your sister.

Something has got to be done with you, mister."


	9. Chapter 9

"I cannot believe this," Kiara said angrily. Saba had been brought back to Pride Rock and was surrounded by his family. "I never thought I'd see the day when one of my children tried to kill the other one. What put the idea into your head?"

Saba pointed at Kovu. "He told me to do it."

Kovu nearly exploded with rage. "THAT IS NOT TRUE, SABA! I told you that story about Scar so you would learn from his example and not let jealousy overcome you. Instead you twisted the message of the tale and took it as a sign that you should kill your sister."

"Well, he's not very good at understandin' stories people tell him, wot wot," Joshy said. Saba glared at him.

"You always take Savannah's side in everything!" he shouted at his parents.

"Saba, that fire could have gotten out of control and killed any number of beasts. As it is, you almost killed your sister, and yourself. It was a lucky thing that that rain shower came," Kiara said. Joshy looked away from her nervously.

Kion regained his composure. "Your mother and I will have to take a while to decide what to do with you."

"You won't be too hard on him, will you?" Savannah pleaded.

"I say we make him into a throw rug!" Wazu snapped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, all the animals of the Pride Lands gathered to witness Kiara and Kovu's judgement on their son. The king and queen stood on Pride Rock, with Saba cowering in front of them.

"Saba has tried to kill his sister, Savannah, the heir to the throne," Kiara declaimed. "Under the law of the Pride Lands, this act of treason is grounds for execution. But we will let him live, because he is our son. After talking back and forth, and consulting with Rafiki, Kovu and I have decided that Saba must be banished. He must leave the Pride Lands and never return!"

A cry like that of a wounded animal broke the silence. Savannah dashed out of the cave, trying to get hold of her brother. "No, no! Not my Saba. Please, let him stay. I'll look after him, he'll change, you'll see, I'll talk to him…!"

Rafiki came up behind her and restrained her. "Hush now, be still, little one, your brother would be a murderer had he not been stopped. There is nothing more you can do for him!"

"Saba, you must go now! I declare you Outcast of the Pride Lands!" Kiara choked out. She turned away so the crowd couldn't see her tears.

Kion dragged Saba down the slope to the ground.

Saba stood up, quivering with rage. "Stupid oafs!" he yelled. "Bumblin' fools! You ain't heard the last o' me! Someday I'll be back, and I'll tear Pride Rock apart, stone by stone. Then I'll slay every livin' one of you, I promise!"

He stalked away, to the east.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kovu ordered everyone to search for the white diamond. They looked all over the place, but Joshy was the one who found it, in the little cave Saba had hidden in.

The hare was walking past the spot when he heard the diamond singing. "Ahhhhh."

"What's that? Who's there?" Joshy recognized the sound from earlier and was instantly alert.

 _Come to me, William David Truman Joshua Stag Hare._ This was Joshy's full name. _I have need of you._

Joshy saw the cave. He peeked inside. The diamond was there, and it was glowing like mad.

"Oh no," Joshy groaned. "Not you again, wot."

 _Joshy, I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. You could become a king yourself._

"I have no interest in bein' a bally king," Joshy retorted. "There are too many of those in the world as it is. An' as for crowns, the heavy thing would only hurt my head, wot wot!"

 _That's not true, Joshy. You want to be rich and powerful. You know you do. Take me and start a new life somewhere else._

Joshy strove mightily to resist the diamond's spell, but in the end it was too strong for him. He found himself rushing up and grabbing it, and then he was as mesmerized as Saba had been.

So Joshy didn't bring the diamond back to the king and queen. Instead, he ran off with it.


	10. Chapter 10

Joshy had reached the coast, near the cave where the diamond had been found. As he walked along, carrying the diamond in his paws, he felt a tremendous sense of power. He realized he could do absolutely anything now and not feel guilty. "Maybe I'll become a jolly old pirate myself," he thought. "Or a Warlord. I say, that sounds dashed good. Havin' an army of evil animals to do my biddin'. I'll change my name to somethin' more fittin', like Darkfang, or Nightflash, or Bloodgut! I'd be unstoppable with this diamond, wot? No creature would dare to stand in my way. I could even take revenge on my father. Saba was able to use this diamond to create a huge flippin' fire. I wonder what else it can do?"

He became oblivious to the world around him as he cogitated. He didn't even notice the palm trees that had been felled all about him. He was aware of nothing but the jewel in his hand. "Why, I could even become the next king of the Pride Lands. Yes, those lions have been in charge for far too blinkin' long. I will be king- king of the forest, king of the sea, king of everything, that's me! Ha, I even feel smarter now that I have this gem, wot!"

Just then he ran right into somebody. It was Saba! Joshy suddenly found himself lying on the ground with Saba snarling in his face.

"What are you doing with my diamond, hare?" Saba growled.

Joshy was terrified, but he had always been a quick thinker. "Oh, hello, mate. I wasn't stealin' your diamond," he lied. "I was bringin' it back to you as a gift, wot! I'm fed up with the royal family, an' I want to join up with you!"

Saba stared at him. Was the hare telling the truth? Well, Joshy had always been honest with him before. But how did he know Joshy didn't want the diamond for himself? How could anyone resist its pull?

At last he said, "All right. I'll let you join me. But if you play me false just once, my claws will find yer throat before you're much older!"

"Play you false, sah? Why, I've always been your true friend, through thick an' thin, haven't I, old lion, old Sab?"

"That's right, you have," the lion admitted. "But if you're going to follow me, you'll do whatever I tell you to do, at any time, whenever I tell you to do it. Is that clear?"

Joshy nodded emphatically. "Crystal!" To himself he said, "But don't count out me betrayin' you, wot."

"Now hand me the diamond," Saba ordered. Joshy hesitated. "Are you disobeying me already? I said hand it over!"

Shaking, the hare relinquished the diamond.

"Excellent," Saba said. "And now, you're going to help me build a boat!"

Joshy scratched his head in confusion. "A boat? Y'say we're gonna build a boat?"

"That's what I said, a B-O-A-T, a boat, a sailboat."

"An' just what are we goin' to do with this B-O-A-T, boat, sailboat?"

Saba pointed across the sea. "See that island? I think it looks like a good place for us to start up our own country. But we can't get across without a boat."

"Ah, yes, that makes sense, wot."

Saba stalked over to a palm tree. Joshy noticed the fallen trees everywhere for the first time. He realized that Saba had been the one knocking them down. Saba started scratching at the tree with his sharp claws. He was cutting right through the trunk. But this tree had a nest in it, with a parrot egg inside. The mother parrot was right there, and she screamed, "No! Stop!"

"Screams and cries are music to my ears," Saba said.

Joshy nodded in agreement. "Mine too!" Only a few hours ago, he would have shown some compassion for the poor parrots, but now he had been corrupted by the gem, just like Saba.

Saba finished cutting the tree and it crashed to the ground, crushing the egg. "Child murderer! Child murderer!" the parrot shrieked.

"Make yourself useful and shut that featherbag up for me, will you?" Saba said to Joshy. Joshy picked up a stone and threw it at the bird. It hit her right in the head and knocked her out.

"Thanks for taking care of that problem for me," Saba said. "If you hadn't, you might have had a few of your own- get the message?"

"I certainly do, wot wot," Joshy said. "You won't get away with threatenin' me like that, though," he thought. "As soon as I get that diamond back, you'll be dead! I'll mount your head on a wall."

They cut down more trees until they had enough to make a raft. Then they got some vines and started tying the logs together.

"When we reach the island, we can build a new empire on the Eastern Coast," Saba said.

Joshy remembered another creature he had once known who wanted to build an empire on an Eastern Coast. A wave of foreboding washed over him. What was he getting himself into? What were he and Saba becoming?


	11. Chapter 11

Around the time that Joshy was discovering the diamond, Makini was in the baobab grove with Savannah, trying to comfort her.

"This is just like that horrible story about the ferret that Joshy once told us," Savannah said. Seeing all the baobab trees around brought up painful memories. "Two days ago, Saba and I were playing Baobab Ball together, and now he wants to kill me!"

"I don't understand it," Makini said, shaking her head. "It seemed like he still cared about you the other night, when you had your allergic reaction to the Burtonian Fungus. You should have seen him then, Savannah. He was freaking out because you were in danger. I never saw him run so fast before!"

"But then the next day, he tried to kill me," Savannah said. "Maybe it's my fault. He probably resented me because I always beat him at everything. I bragged all the time about how I was a faster runner than him, and a better climber and everything, and maybe that helped him to go wrong."

"You can't blame yourself for your brother's sin.

Every problem he has belongs only to him," said Rick the zebra, cantering up.

Savannah began to cry.

"I don't think that was the best thing to say to cheer Savannah up, buddy," Makini said.

"Okay.

I'll go away."

He went off sadly.

"Saba started acting all weird after we found a diamond in that cave," Savannah said through her tears. "He kept shouting that it was _his_ diamond. He almost beaned me with a rock trying to dig it up."

"But then after you had your reaction, he said he wanted to forget all about the diamond," Makini remembered.

"But he must have come back and gotten the diamond later, because that was what he used to start the fire."

Makini climbed a tree and hung upside down from a branch because that helped her think better. "Hmm. You said he wasn't in your cave when you woke up that morning. He must have gotten up in the middle of the night."

"Maybe that was when he got the diamond," Savannah mused. "He was trying to hide something from me the next time I saw him. Do you think the diamond could be responsible for his behavior?"

"I've never heard of a diamond that turned people evil," Makini said. "But Joshy did tell me once about an evil creature that was a pentagram of a whole bunch of animals. He could corrupt people and make 'em evil."

"So maybe this is the same kind of thing!" Savannah cried.

"But he doesn't have the diamond anymore, does he?" Makini said. "I didn't see it on him when he was banished. Maybe the spell has already worn off. Maybe he's feeling sorry now."

"We should go find him and see!" Savannah wiped the tears from her eyes. "Let's go!" She knew she was grasping at straws, but her brother meant more to her than anything in the world.

"All right!" Makini dived to the ground and scooped up her staff.

They had seen Saba go east, toward the coast and the diamond cave, so they headed in that direction.

Eventually they came to the spot where Saba and Joshy were just finishing their boat.

"Get off!" Saba yelled at his sister when he saw her. "You have nothing to do here!"

"What are you doing, Saba?" Savannah cried. "Did you cut down all those trees?"

"What's it jolly well look like we're doin'?" Joshy snapped. "We're buildin' a B-O-A-T, a boat, a sailboat!"

Savannah was shocked to see the hare here. "Why are you with him, Joshy?"

Saba answered for him. "Joshy came to give me back my diamond. He's going along with me to help me start my new empire. Then, someday, we'll come back with an army and conquer you!"

"Saba, you have to throw that diamond away!" Savannah shouted.

Saba glared at her. "Throw it away? The only thing I've ever owned that I haven't had to share with you? You must want it for yourself!"

"Don't leave, Saba!" his sister begged.

"That thing will never float," Makini put in. "It's just a bunch of logs tied together. It'll break apart as soon as you get out on the water!"

Joshy stuck out his chin. "We don't have a flippin' choice! We have to leave! We're Outcasts now, wot!"

" _You're_ not an Outcast, Joshy," Makini reminded him. "You don't have to go with him."

Saba balanced the diamond on top of the raft and pushed it into the water. He jumped onto it. "Joshy, come on! We're leaving now!"

The hare hesitated for a second, glancing back and forth, but in the end he climbed onto the raft too.

A flood of tears spilled from Savannah's eyes as she watched the raft get farther away.

Just then, the parrot Joshy had thrown a stone at woke up. "Oh! My head!" She looked out to sea and saw the raft sailing away. "So the child murderers are leaving now, eh? Good riddance, child murderers!"

"Child murderers?" Savannah repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Those animals killed my baby!" the parrot snapped. "They cut down the tree with my egg in it."

"You mean this egg?" Makini said, spotting one on the ground.

As the mandrill took the cracked egg sadly in her hand, she felt something moving in there. Then a tiny beak pushed its way through the shell. "It's not dead!" Makini exclaimed. "It's just being born!"

The newborn parrot chick emerged from its shell. It was bright green like its mother, who was shedding tears of joy. Her child had survived!

"See, Saba's not a child murderer after all," Makini said to Savannah. "Everything will be okay. I'll try to- no, I _will_ make sure things turn out all right. I'll do whatever it takes to help you save your brother!"

"Do you think we still can?" Savannah asked hopefully.

"Absolutely!" Makini said. As she clutched her staff resolutely, she realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd lost it. 


	12. Chapter 12

Saba and Joshy had reached the island. The lion had kept the diamond clenched between his paws the whole way, and nearly fallen into the water a few times.

The island was lush and verdant, with fruit trees everywhere and tumbleweed-like bushes and shrubberies.

"I need to find a piece of string so I can hang this around my neck," Saba said. "That way I can carry it around without losing it." He kicked Joshy. "You! Find me a string!"

"Yes sir, right away sir, three bags full sir! One piece of string comin' right up!" The hare hurried off into the jungle.

As he got further away from Saba and the diamond, Joshy's head began to clear. He was appalled at the thoughts he had been having. He had wanted to hurt people. He had wanted to kill people. He had even considered killing Saba, his best friend! And he had thrown a rock at a poor bird. He realized that it was all because of the diamond. "An' Saba had it for a lot longer than me," he thought. "What's it doin' to him, eh?"

Well, now he was aware of the diamond's tricks, and he resolved that he wouldn't let it happen to him again.

Meanwhile, Saba had buried the diamond in the sand, so it would stay hidden until Joshy came back with the string. Just as he finished covering it, a bunch of animals came running across the sand and rocks. They had sharp claws and teeth, and spots all over. They were hyenas, and they were headed straight for Saba!

Saba was terrified, but he didn't run away because he didn't want to leave the diamond unprotected. And so the hyenas surrounded him.

"What's a little swinger like you doin' on our side of town?" the leader of the hyenas, a female named Mitsuko, asked.

Saba stood his ground. "Go away, you mangy spotted dogs! I'm not afraid of you!"

"Oh, he's not afraid of us, well, ain't that nice?" said Mitsuko. "Would ya like to stay for dinner? We don't have much, but we could have whatever's _lion_ around." The hyenas all started laughing like crazy.

"He doesn't have very good judgement, but I bet he has excellent taste," said another hyena, licking his lips.

"Shut up, Joey," said Mitsuko. She was mad because she knew Joey's joke was better than hers.

She advanced on Saba to kill him, but Saba let out a fearsome roar! It echoed all around the island. Saba had never managed to roar so loudly before. Despite his danger, he felt proud.

The hyenas fell back. Now they were the ones who were intimidated. They were trembling on the ground, hoping this lion wouldn't kill them. Then the one called Joey noticed the mark on Saba's eye.

"Look! He has a scar on his eye! Could he be-?"

"My mother always said he'd come back one day," said a hyena named Petey.

Saba had a feeling he knew what they were talking about. He remembered Kovu had told him that his evil great-great-uncle, Scar, had been the leader of an evil army of hyenas. These were probably the descendants of those hyenas. They had idolized Scar. Most likely they had a legend that he would come back to lead them one day. Saba seized his chance.

"Yes. I'm Scar, and I'm back!"


	13. Chapter 13

When Joshy heard Saba's roar, he assumed the young lion was getting impatient with him. "I've got to find that blinkin' string fast, wot! Oh, but where am I goin' to find a piece of string in the middle of a jungle? Dash it all! Hang on a tick, maybe there's some in this cave here."

He went inside the cave, but he made sure it didn't go back too far. He didn't want to get lost again. This was just a little cave, though. Joshy didn't see any string, but he did see a lot of that Burtonian Fungus growing on the walls.

As the hare turned to leave, he heard a growl behind him. Joshy found himself face to face with a slobbering hyena.

"Well, well, well. Look what I just caught. A fat, tender, little rabbit."

"Beg y'pardon, sah, I'm not a rabbit, I'm a hare, wot wot…" Joshy's voice died away.

The hyena chortled. "You're a fancy rabbit, ain't ya! Talkin' all eddicated like that. Maybe when I eat your brain it'll make me smarter. I haven't had fresh meat in years. Nothin' on this stinkin' island but fruit!" He opened his jaws.

Just as he was about to eat Joshy, a voice called, "What have ya got there, Johnny?"

Mitsuko, the hyena leader, came striding into the cave. "I see ya caught a little rabbit, did ya? An' you was gonna eat it all by yourself, so the rest of us couldn't have any."

Saba's head appeared at the mouth of the cave. Joshy gasped with relief. "Saba! You won't let these hyenas eat me, wot?"

Mitsuko turned to Saba. "Why did the rabbit call you Saba, Scar?"

"Oh, he's my slave," Saba said. "He's just too doltish to remember my name."

"How could ya keep a rabbit around that long without eatin' him?" Johnny cried.

"I needed him." Saba turned away. "But I don't need him any longer now that I have you, hyenas. He's all yours."

Joshy was stunned at this betrayal. "No! Wait!" he shouted. "Don't eat me! Wouldn't you rather have some… fried chicken?"

Like magic, a bunch of fried chicken appeared on the floor of the cave. The hyenas gaped.

"How did ya do that?" Mitsuko said.

"Well, I'm- I'm a wizard, wot. I've been tryin' to keep it under wraps since I arrived in these parts, but I can do magic. I can summon food whenever I want." This was absolutely true. Joshy's magical powers had helped him get to the tree before Savannah back in Chapter 2, and he had also caused the rainstorm that put out the grass fire, saving Saba and Savannah's lives.

"Can ya do anything else besides fried chicken?"

"Oh, anything your hyena heart jolly well desires, wot!" Joshy sobbed. "If you don't kill me, I'll keep you fed."

An evil smile came over Mitsuko's face. "All right. We'll keep you around, as long as you keep supplyin' us with food."

They led Joshy out of the cave. Joshy could see the diamond hanging around Saba's neck. He quickly averted his eyes so he wouldn't fall victim to its temptation again. "I see you found a string, wot wot?"

"Yes, no thanks to you," Saba snarled. "These hyenas are a lot quicker at following orders than you are."

Joshy knew it wasn't really Saba's fault that he was saying all these mean things. The diamond was controlling him somehow. He wished he could think of a way to get it away from Saba, without getting corrupted again himself.

Just then Saba turned back and looked into the cave again. He noticed the fungus growing on the walls, and it gave him an idea. "I know how we can conquer the Pride Lands!" he exclaimed to the hyenas. "We can do it tonight."


	14. Chapter 14

When Savannah and Makini came back to Pride Rock that night, Savannah finally told her parents the whole truth. She explained about the diamond and how it had turned Saba evil. She said that Saba had set off for the island, and Joshy had gone with him. But she didn't tell Kiara and Kovu that Saba was now calling himself Scar, and he was the leader of a group of hyenas, because she didn't know that.

"I should have told you about the diamond before, but I was afraid of getting in trouble," she said.

"Well, even if you had told us, I don't know what we could have done," said Kovu.

"And neither of you ever heard about this diamond before?" Savannah asked.

Kiara shook her head sadly. "I thought the time of division among lions was over," she said. "When my father Simba was king he was constantly at war with the descendants of Scar. The fighting finally ended when your father and I got married, but now it looks as if it's going to start up again."

Makini tried to console her. "Hey, maybe it won't turn out that way. Maybe Saba will have a change of heart! Remember. Shwari. Be calm."

"Thank you, Makini," Kiara said. "Would you like to stay the night with us? We could use each other's support."

"Sure!" said Makini.

"Maybe tomorrow we could hunt up Wazu and ask her to fly out to the island and keep an eye on Saba," Savannah suggested. "Make sure he's safe."

Kiara and Kovu thought that was an excellent idea, but they would never get the chance to try it. Saba would be heading back home that very night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Saba showed the hyenas the Burtonian Fungus. "The princess of Pride Rock is allergic to this," he explained. "One sniff will make her pass out. Then we can carry her back here and demand that the king and queen cede their power to us in exchange for their daughter."

"Oh, man, you are really bad, Scar!" Mitsuko cried in fiendish glee. "It takes a lion to think of a plan like that!"

"And we can put it into action tonight," Saba said.

"But how are we gonna get over there?" Mitsuko demanded. "My boys can't swim!"

"I have a boat," Saba answered. "We can sail over there tonight as soon as it gets dark."

"An' then the Pride Lands will be the Hyena Lands," Mitsuko said with relish. The other hyenas sniggered.

"Ya know what they say," the hyena Joey agreed. "Pride comes before a fall."

The hyenas began laughing wildly, much louder than they had at what Mitsuko said.

"I'm gonna hafta kill that Joey as soon as he ain't useful to me anymore," Mitsuko whispered in Saba's ear.

The lion was taken aback. "Why?"

"Cause he keeps comin' up with better one liners than me. I can't have him showin' me up like that."

The tiny part of Saba that still remained himself, not contaminated by the diamond's evil magic, felt this was wrong. Why should Mitsuko kill Joey just because he was funnier than her? She hated him because she was jealous. But, Saba realized, he hated his own sister because he was jealous of _her._


	15. Chapter 15

The full moon was in the sky as Saba, Mitsuko, and Joshy floated back across on the raft. Joshy hated himself. He was with two evil beasts, involved in a plot to take over a kingdom. He had no choice but to go along with them. If he disobeyed them, he was sure they would not hesitate to kill him. "I'm no better than a bally vermin now, wot," he thought.

Saba was starting to feel conflicted about what he was doing. If he actually went through with this, he would be as bad as the real Scar. He had already made one attempt on Savannah's life. Maybe if he had repented and begged for forgiveness then, he wouldn't have been banished. But if he hadn't been banished, he would have just had to keep on being a second fiddle to Savannah all his life. Besides, he probably would have had to give up the diamond, and he didn't want that.

Just as his thoughts turned to the diamond hanging around his neck, he noticed Mitsuko staring at it. "Hey Scar, what is that thing, anyway?"

"None of your business," Saba snarled at her. "If you ever put a paw near my diamond, I'll snap it off and make you eat it!"

Mitsuko backed off. "She doesn't need a diamond to make her evil anyway," Saba thought. "She was born evil." He paused. Where had that thought come from? _The diamond makes people evil._ Was the diamond the real cause of all his misery?

By that point they had got back to the mainland. In his paws, Saba was carrying lots of Burtonian Fungus he had scooped from the walls of the island cave. They commenced the long walk to Pride Rock in silence, each engrossed in his or her own thoughts.

At last they reached it. They tiptoed up the slope and looked inside the cave on top.

Kiara, Kovu, and Savannah were sprawled on the floor. Makini was there too, with her arms around Savannah. They were all fast asleep. Saba didn't see his Uncle Kion; he guessed Kion was out on a night patrol with the rest of the Lion Guard.

Saba entered his old home. He approached his sleeping sister. Soon he was standing right over her. He looked down at the stuff in his paws, contemplating. Then he looked at Savannah's face. She looked troubled, like she was having bad dreams.

Saba remembered how Savannah had saved him from the fire he started. He remembered when he was banished, and Savannah had begged Kiara and Kovu not to send him away. He remembered how she had gone after him even after he was made Outcast, imploring him not to sail away on his boat.

"Well?" Mitsuko whispered to him. "What are ya waitin' for?"

An expression of hope appeared on Joshy's face. "Maybe Saba won't be able to hurt Savannah after all!" he thought.

"Do it," the hyena hissed. "Now!"

"Okay," said Saba. "I will." And he shoved the fungus right in Mitsuko's face.

But she did not fall to the ground like Savannah. Instead, she just laughed. "Do you really think that would work on me?" she screeched. "That stuff grows all over my island! If I was allergic to it I'd have found out by now!"

The other lions and Makini jerked awake. "What's going on?" Savannah cried.

"We had a deal, Scar," Mitsuko snapped.

"My name's not Scar," the young lion replied. "It's Saba!" And with that, he threw himself on the hyena.

Saba and Mitsuko rolled all over Pride Rock, chewing and snapping and snarling and growling. In the end, the hyena managed to pin Saba down.

"Wow, you are weak," she said. "I should have known you weren't really Scar. I'm gonna kill ya now, an' then I'm gonna take that jewel hangin' around your…"

She was interrupted as Savannah came charging in and hit her like a freight train. Mitsuko fell, shrieking, over the cliff.

Saba got to his feet. "You won't get the diamond, Mitsuko! In fact, no one's ever gonna have this diamond again!"

He threw the diamond off the cliff. It shattered on the ground. Mitsuko screamed with rage.

Savannah whooped and threw her arms around Saba. "I knew it! I knew you could be a noble lion again!"

"Jolly good show, wot wot!" Joshy said.

The king and queen were overjoyed. They hugged and kissed their lost son. Saba's head felt clearer already. At the last moment, his own will had proven stronger than that of the diamond's.

But their troubles weren't over yet.

A white cloud rose from the shards of the white diamond. It formed itself into a shape. The shape of a lion. A lion with a scar on his eye.

"I AM SCAR!" the ghost lion roared.


	16. Chapter 16

"Before I died, I put a piece of my soul in this diamond," said Ghost Scar. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Now I shall become the ghost king of the Pride Lands!"

"Scar… I'm hurt. Help me," Mitsuko the hyena whined. "I think all four of my legs are broken!"

Scar pounced on her and tore her to ribbons with his ghost claws. "I don't help cripples and bunglers!"

He floated up to Pride Rock. Makini leaped in front of the lions, shielding them. She tried to hit Scar with her staff, but it went right through him without leaving a mark.

"You can't kill a ghost," said Scar. "We're kinda incorporeal!" He knocked Makini out of the way. Then he jumped on Saba and started attacking him.

Just then Joshy shouted "Expectro Patronum!" and a stag Patronus appeared like the one from Harry Potter. A Patronus is the only thing that can kill a ghost. The Patronus stag charged Ghost Scar and gored him with his antlers. So Ghost Scar died.

"Magnificent creatures, stags," Joshy sighed. "Did I ever tell you I wanted to be one? That's why I call myself Joshy _Stag_ Hare."

But Saba had already been gravely wounded. He couldn't stand up. Savannah crouched over him in concern.

Saba looked into his sister's face. "Savannah… I don't want to be evil."

"You're not evil, Sab," Savannah said. "You're just human. Well, not human, but a lion."

"Only… if I have you."

"I love you, Saba," Savannah wept.

"I love you too." Saba's eyes closed.

Sobbing, Savannah kissed her brother.

As Kiara, Kovu, Joshy, and Makini stared in horror, Savannah lay her head on Saba's silent heart and wept into terrible silence. She held his cold body, knowing she had to let go. But she couldn't.

And then all of a sudden Saba's heart started to beat again. The blood faded from his chest. A glow warmed his fur. His eyes opened, emerald clear. His sister's love for him had brought him back to life! Everyone cheered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following day, Savannah and Saba sat on the edge of Pride Rock.

"From now on, you and I are gonna be equal partners," Savannah promised. "No more second banana for you. We'll rule the Pride Lands together!"

"Just like our parents," Saba agreed. "Except we'll be brother and sister, not married to each other."

They laughed. Savannah and Saba knew that there would be troubles ahead in the future. The other hyenas were still out there, for one thing. But they also knew that with the other by their side, they could face anything.

They had both made mistakes. But they would fix them. Together.

THE END


End file.
